Suiseki and Viewing Stone Collector in Sonora, California
What is Suiseki?
What is Suiseki? Suiseki (Sui = water and seki= stone) is the Japanese name for miniature, naturally formed stones that have the power and beauty to suggest a scene from nature or an object closely associated with nature. They are also known as 'Viewing Stones' and 'Scholar Stones.'
Popular Forms of Viewing Stones
The most popular types of Suiseki are those stones that suggest a mountain, an island, a waterfall, a thatched hut, or a human or animal figure.
These stones are found in Mountain Rivers and streams, on windblown deserts, along ocean shorelines, and anywhere the forces of time and nature have formed and left them.
The Suiseki collector will choose from among countless stones that are examined for themes that represent a resemblance to familiar scenes in nature or other objects of beauty found in the natural world.
About Ken
I have been a passionate Suiseki Stone collector for the last eleven years. I mostly explore the California, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington state mountain streams and rivers for Suiseki stones.
My favorite is scenic landscape stones. These stones have impressions of nearby mountains, distant mountains, islands, waterfalls, lakes, and water pools. Some have mountain valleys and other examples of natural topography. I have also found many object stones, pattern stones, and other beautiful viewing stones.
Many of the collection sites I have found are in remote areas and in the wild. I hike many miles up and down these sites carrying out stones in a backpack. At some of my 'secret spots,' as they are called, it takes a full day to find the stones and carry them out. Because of the remote terrain, I always take my Bernese Mountain Dogs with a family member for safety or me.